Interviewing Professor Karen Meunier was not only very interesting, but also rewarding for me. I learned much more about what types of writing is in the Criminal Justice field. Although there are many different options for careers in the field of Criminal Justice, this interview opened my eyes to what I can expect in many of them. Because Professor Meunier has been through many different fields, I feel that she has a good idea of what types of writing are incorporated in this field.
Overall, Professor Meunier focused her answers on her career in Law Enforcement. She explained that if you work as a police officer, you would have to write up incident reports, which are short factual narratives of what took place prior to and at times after an arrest. If you work as a federal agent and a case is not going to be criminally prosecuted but will be dealt with as an administrative case (in the case of an Inspector General investigation), then you could be looking at an investigative report that, at times, is like a small book. These reports are then sent to top officials, and potentially to Congress. If the federal case is prosecuted, the report is much shorter and more to the point. The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes it from there.
On a day to day basis, Professor Meunier described that she writes many different things. Not only does she send emails out to colleagues, but she also sends out memorandums and management alerts. Working as a Law Enforcement member, she also writes briefs for agents on a daily basis.
Professor Meunier said that she generally writes only for work. Most or all of what she writes is work-based. She explained how she does not have enough time in a day to think, let alone to write for pleasure. Although she would like to write for pleasure, she unfortunately does not have the time.
Surprisingly there are many audiences that Law Enforcement members write to. Before I interviewed Professor Meunier, I imagined that in a career such as Law Enforcement you really wouldn’t have to do a lot of writing. She informed me that there is a lot of writing to do when it comes to this career. In her experience, she shared that she had to write for other agents, supervisors, top officials, media, and government officials.
Since writing is a big part of this type of career, Professor Meunier suggested that you learn to like writing. She stated that the pride of having written a paper or report that will influence changes either to policy, procedures, laws, or prosecute someone who committed a crime is a very good feeling. She also explained that if the investigative report is done poorly, there is a potential that case will not be brought to court and the suspect goes free. Also, she said that many people do not realize that in order to get many government jobs, part of the interview process is to write a short narrative to a scenario provided by the employer. If the applicant for the job has poor writing skills they are not hired.
Although the article is very short, Professor Meunier described that an article that she admired was overall about the death penalty vs. solitary confinement. She explained that this is such an important and popular topic throughout the Criminal Justice system. Everyone has their own opinion as to what is right and wrong, this article sees both sides of the argument.
Overall, Professor Meunier focused her answers on her career in Law Enforcement. She explained that if you work as a police officer, you would have to write up incident reports, which are short factual narratives of what took place prior to and at times after an arrest. If you work as a federal agent and a case is not going to be criminally prosecuted but will be dealt with as an administrative case (in the case of an Inspector General investigation), then you could be looking at an investigative report that, at times, is like a small book. These reports are then sent to top officials, and potentially to Congress. If the federal case is prosecuted, the report is much shorter and more to the point. The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes it from there.
On a day to day basis, Professor Meunier described that she writes many different things. Not only does she send emails out to colleagues, but she also sends out memorandums and management alerts. Working as a Law Enforcement member, she also writes briefs for agents on a daily basis.
Professor Meunier said that she generally writes only for work. Most or all of what she writes is work-based. She explained how she does not have enough time in a day to think, let alone to write for pleasure. Although she would like to write for pleasure, she unfortunately does not have the time.
Surprisingly there are many audiences that Law Enforcement members write to. Before I interviewed Professor Meunier, I imagined that in a career such as Law Enforcement you really wouldn’t have to do a lot of writing. She informed me that there is a lot of writing to do when it comes to this career. In her experience, she shared that she had to write for other agents, supervisors, top officials, media, and government officials.
Since writing is a big part of this type of career, Professor Meunier suggested that you learn to like writing. She stated that the pride of having written a paper or report that will influence changes either to policy, procedures, laws, or prosecute someone who committed a crime is a very good feeling. She also explained that if the investigative report is done poorly, there is a potential that case will not be brought to court and the suspect goes free. Also, she said that many people do not realize that in order to get many government jobs, part of the interview process is to write a short narrative to a scenario provided by the employer. If the applicant for the job has poor writing skills they are not hired.
Although the article is very short, Professor Meunier described that an article that she admired was overall about the death penalty vs. solitary confinement. She explained that this is such an important and popular topic throughout the Criminal Justice system. Everyone has their own opinion as to what is right and wrong, this article sees both sides of the argument.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/23/opinion/la-le-1023-tuesday-death-penalty-solitary-20121023